Her Own Little Piece Of Me
by Skylair Hernandez
Summary: Sequel to Her Own Little Piece Of Lovely. Tanith and Ghastly are married but the past catches up with them. Will they realise who their babies daddy is before harm can come to them? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**This is the sequel to **_**Her Own Little Piece Of Lovely**_**; finally. So at the end of **_**Her… Lovely**_** Tanith and Ghastly got married; in case you've forgotten. So I forgot a disclaimer in the last story so I don't own very many of the characters; the amazing and vary talented Derek Landy owns them :D **

_CHAPTER 1:_

"Olgie, Honey. Come and see daddy's friends baby." She walked slowly into the living room; it smelled of beer, cigarettes and other things a one year old wouldn't know about. Even though she was pretty advance for her age; she walked quite steadily and her speech was great. Olga appeared at the door and looked in. "It's okay honey. She's quite shy. Come here baby." She walked over to the podgy man in the armchair. He lifted her up and sat her on his knee. "These people are your mummy's friends. There's Charmaine Derailleur, Tommy Poppins, André Labile and Deriangel Montgomery. They came to meet you." She looked at the people in the room; three ladies and a man. She waved at them and smiled.

Olga played on the living room floor and acted happy until they left. She waved again. "Bibey." She climbed the stairs; it was difficult because she was smaller than the average one year old and she was almost two. She got to the top of the stairs were there was a lot of clutter and mess. She wriggled her way through the stuff and into the spare room where she hid under the bed and waited.

The front door slammed shut and her father's voice could be heard. "Olgie! Olgie!" He was playing with her. He made his footsteps deliberately loud and slow coming up the stairs, he fought his way through the clutter by throwing things against the wall with loud bangs. She held her breath as he came into the room; he spotted her hand and lunged.

He shoved the bed and it cracked against her head and she cried out in pain. He dragged her out from her hiding spot and down the stairs painfully. "Hiding from daddy are we?" He slapped her again and again. His hand connecting with her face stung but she didn't cry; he made it worse if she cried.

A face appeared at the door, Charmaine Derailleur looked in the window on the front door. She heard him yelling at first but when she looked closer she noticed he was beating Olga up. Her eyes were closed; there was blood running down her face and soaking her clothes. Charmaine took out her phone and dialled the number for the English grand mage; Éclair Cadbury answered on the second ring. "Charmaine; what's the matter?"

"He's beating up his daughter."

"Who? Mr J?"

"Yes, she's badly injured. She will need medical help immediately."

"You have my permission to charge in and take her. Then teleport her to the Irish sanctuary because they have the best medical base and doctors."

"Okay; I will."

"Good luck." She hung up and stepped back from the door. She took another step for good measure then she kicked the door down. He looked up. She kicked him in the balls. He doubled over in pain. He dropped Olga. She grabbed the child and made to get away. He grabbed her and racked his sharp fingernails over her soft flesh. Charmaine cursed and turned. She grabbed the lamppost and whacked him over the head with it. He fell to the floor; unconscious.

Charmaine teleported Olga to the Irish sanctuary. She charged through the corridors with Olga bleeding half to death in her arms. Her neck stung where he had scratched her but she fought on. She pushed sorcerers and mages out her way. She barged into the medical bay; Nye was dissecting a dead body and looked up. It's long limbs prowled over the operating table. Charmaine shoved the dead body off the table and laid Olga on it. She took a gun out of her pocket and held it to Nye's head. "Fix her, you bastardly spawn of Satan."

**Yeah I know it's short! But who is Mr J? Where is Olga's mum? Why is he beating up this baby? Please think about these things for me before you read the next chapter. And thoughts so far? PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Skylair xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Can I just say my profile picture is supposed to be Ashley from Her… Lovely but Darrell will look the same with longer hair and girl's clothes on coz they're twins. Right, back to writing..**

_CHAPTER 2:_

Valkyrie followed Tanith through the sanctuary; listening to Ravel talking. "Charmaine didn't tell us who her father is but she's up for adoption now. But nobody wants her. My heart opened to her as soon as I saw her but my wife said no. Are you okay to look at her?" They nodded, Darrell wriggled in Valkyrie's arms and pointed at Ravel. Valkyrie handed her to him before entering the room behind Tanith.

A baby girl lay on a bed in the centre of the room; she was beaten and bruised. Tanith seen her and immediately started to cry. The baby watched them with wide blue eyes, her dark brown curls still had blood in them which had rubbed onto her face. "Hello baby. I'm Val; you look gorgeous in that dress." The baby looked down and picked up a handful of the pink dress she had been dressed in. Tanith had redeemed herself and sat beside the baby. "I'm Tanith. You can call me Tan when you can talk." The baby looked at them. "Twang? Hewo." Tanith gawped at her; she was a good talker. She watched them with curiosity. Tanith looked at Valkyrie and stood up suddenly. "I've had an idea! Back in a few minutes!" She ran out the room; leaving the door open. The baby reached out her hand to Tanith as she ran away. "Twan!" Tanith didn't hear her. A few seconds later Darrell crawled through the open door. She looked up at Valkyrie and smiled her little one-toothed smile. Valkyrie reached out her arms and Darrell crawled into them.

Tanith and Ghastly could be heard coming down the corridor. "Oh please. Ghastly; I know this sounds crazy but I think I love her already."

"You're right Tanith. That does sound crazy." Ghastly sounded very annoyed. Valkyrie reckoned Tanith was trying to persuade him to adopt the baby. "She'd need a new name and everything. Tanith; I'm really busy at work as it is. I just don't think we could" Tanith pouted and looked like she was about to cry. "Please, Ghastly. I'm begging you." Ghastly sighed and went to talk with Ravel about it. Tanith whooped for joy and came back into the room. Darrel's big dark eyes stared at her from in Valkyrie's hair. Tanith knelt down so she and Darrell were face to face. "Boo." Darrell screamed and laughed in excitement; she loved Tanith.

Valkyrie and Tanith waited patiently; Darrell bounced about and played. The baby watched Darrell play; she was fascinated. "You can play with Darrell whenever you want once I've adopted you. Isn't she pretty?" The baby nodded. "Dawil bewy pitty." Valkyrie beamed.

Ravel called on Tanith and she disappeared. Valkyrie kept an eye on Darrell and watched over the other baby. Darrell crawled into the coffee table and knocked a magazine onto her head. She got a fright and started to cry. Valkyrie picked her up and Tanith walked in again with Ghastly and Ravel following. "Val; this is my new daughter." She pointed to the baby. "I need a name for her now."

Tanith jotted down her name suggestions and Ghastly sorted them into lists of approval and disapproval. Valkyrie peered at the approval list, there were some quite nice names and some quit weird ones too. She read them aloud to the baby. "Dat un." "Which one?"

"Ewin." Tanith looked at the list.

"Do you want to be called Erin?"

"Yesh plweez." Ghastly nodded his approval and it was settled; their baby was now called Erin because every time she heard the name Olga she would have a panic attack. "Erin Stephanie Bespoke; it's a pleasure to have you as my daughter." Tanith smiled. Ghastly poked her in the side and she giggled. Valkyrie, Darrell and Ravel left them to bond as a family. "They are such a cute family; we should throw a party." Ravel nodded. "That's a great idea."

"We could do it at Gordon's." Valkyrie grinned and Darrell flicked her in the nose.

**So there is chapter 2! I've updated 7 chapters in total 2day to different stories. I'm kinda proud of myself PLEASE REVIEW! What did you think? **

**Skylair xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews! They made my day. The chapters have been really short so far; I'll try to make this one longer :D**

_CHAPTER 3:_

Valkyrie pinned the last corner of the banner that read; 'CONGRATULATIONS TANITH AND GHASTLY ON YOUR NEW BABY GIRL!' She grinned and jumped down from the stool. "Where did the tape go?" Darrell laughed and ducked behind the couch. Ashley watched Fletcher crawl after her. "Val! Help! I'm stuck!" Ashley laughed and stole Fletcher 's shoe. "Oi: Give that back!" Darrell appeared at the other side of the couch with the tape in her mouth; dragging a newspaper. She wriggled into Valkyrie's waiting arms.

"Aren't you so clever?" Darrell nodded her head. Ashley crawled out with Fletcher's shoe; he was struggling a bit so Valkyrie helped him. "You okay down there Fletch?"

"No."

"Are you hurt?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Leonard."

"Oh. Ew. Right; gross."

"I think he's bruised."

"That makes a change." Fletcher laughed and she pulled the couch out of the way to let him stand up. "We've not got long now. Take Ashley upstairs and put his clothes on him and I'll take Darrell. Skulduggery will finish up here." Fletcher nodded and they took the babies upstairs. Valkyrie put Darrell into the bath; she took the tape with her. She sat in the water playing with the tape and throwing bubbles at Valkyrie. "You're such a muppet sometimes baby."

She smudged bubbles over Valkyrie's nose and giggled. "Baby!" Valkyrie slopped some all over her face; Darrell wasn't best pleased. "Booboobooboo."

Once she had Darrell out of the bath and wrapped up in a towel Valkyrie went to get dressed. She put on the red dress she had worn to her baby shower nine months ago. She had lost the baby fat so now she looked better in it. She wore red converse with the dress and put Darrell in a monkey onsie with a hood with ears and it had a tail. "That suits you babes." She smiled and took her to the bedroom where Fletcher was dressing Ashley. Fletcher wore dark jeans and a shirt and Ashley was wearing an onsie that sort of looked like a suit. "Very posh." Darrell poked the fake tie and giggled. "What on earth is she wearing Val?" Valkyrie looked at Darrell who just realised she'd lost her tape. She looked under her hands an inside her onsie. "It's cute." There was a knock at the door and Valkyrie ran to answer it. "Tanith!"

"Hey Val; the place looks great. You did a good job."

"Thanks; Darrell does look cute doesn't she?"

"Aw. Adorable much."

"I knew it. People will be arriving soon."

"You really didn't have to organize a party you know."

"I wanted to; there's no calling it off now anyway."

"I know. Ghastly hurry up!" Ghastly brought Erin out of the car; she was wearing a lilac dress and she'd had a good shower since the last time Valkyrie had seen her. Her ringlets bounced on her shoulders and her blue eyes shone brightly. "She look gorgeous." Tanith beamed. "And she's my baby."

Tanith took Erin from Ghastly arms and kissed her nose. "Hey babes." Erin smiled at Tanith and then at Valkyrie. She waved to Darrell who waved back. "Aw they're gonna be friends." Valkyrie cooed. They took them inside and Fletcher had already started to make lunch; it smelled good.3

He turned and smiled at them. "Hello ladies." Ghastly cleared his throat loudly. "Do you want some lunch Tanith? Ghastly?" They nodded and sat at the table.

After lunch; fried eggs, bacon, French toast, sausages and fried mushrooms they got ready to greet guests. Erskine was the first person to arrive with his family, Finbar came not long after with a toddler sitting on his head. "This is Nominis." Valkyrie laughed. People stared. "Nominis is Latin for name!" People laughed. Nominis bit Finbar's ear. Finbar flicked Nominis's nose. Nominis squealed.

More people arrived shortly after. Fletcher kept refilling Valkyrie's wine glass and she drunk it to be polite. The night soon became a blur of dirty dancing, drinks, singing karaoke, laughing at Darrell's mischief, eating chocolate and introducing Erin to hundreds of people. Valkyrie crashed out on the couch about an hour after the party had finished. Fletcher tried to carry her to their bedroom but he fell on the stairs and Tanith's brother laughed at him and caught Valkyrie before she got hurt.

Tanith and Ghastly appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Fletcher; Darrell can just stay at our place so Val has only one child to look after with a hangover to hell."

"Is she still up?" The muppet in question popped her head out of Tanith's hoody and grinned her little one-toothed grin Fletcher was so fond of. "Yeah, sure." Tanith thanked him and ran out the door; laughing. Fletcher listened to car tyres squeal and tear down the driveway. What had he subscribed his daughter to?

Erin woke up; startled. She looked around herself in a panic. Tanith and Ghastly were sleeping together on a double bed in the centre of the room. Darrell sat up; wide awake in the cot next to the one Erin was in. Darrell watched with wide eyes filled with curiosity. Tanith grunted in her sleep and began to toss. "Geebow naypa bagno bloboo!" Tanith sat up and looked at Darrell. She sighed and stood up; the movement woke Ghastly. "It's okay. Go back to sleep; Darrell usually gets fed at this time in the morning I forgot is all." She picked the child up and disappeared from the room; her footsteps could be heard descending the stairs.

Erin watched Ghastly after Tanith disappeared. "Eway." Ghastly sat up and looked at Erin. He got out of bed and stumbled to her cot. He reached in and pulled her out gently. She whimpered and recoiled from his touch. He pulled her closer; into a cuddle and showed he meant no harm. Erin hugged him back and they lay down on the bed. Ghastly lay on his side with Erin in his arms.

He tucked the blanket up to under her chin.

They were asleep and cuddling into each other when Tanith came back into the room.

**Aww. A guns and roses song just came into my head writing the last part. Sorry I haven't updated in ages; I've hurt myself whilst being an idiot. Do I need to add any more details than being an idiot? So what did you think? PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Skylair xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for the reviews; they make me smile like something deranged. Sorry for not reviewing in ages but I haven't been able to log in so… I really want to write a Valentines one-shot but I actually don't know when Valentine's day is. Please tell me. PLEASE RVIEW! **

_Chapter 4:_

Valkyrie hit her head on the dash because she was laughing so hard. "Oh, we could have little pink balloons and napkins and other things that you have a two year olds party!" Valkyrie laughed again and her mum grinned. The countryside whizzed past the windows. They were on the way to pick Darrell up from Ghastly's then to go shopping for some stuff for Alice's second birthday party. "It was nice of dad to look after Alice for the afternoon but I still think he'll drop her." Her mum nodded and laughed; they'd been discussing the party very enthusiastically for a while. Valkyrie thought this moment would last. She thought it was great. How wrong she was…

A deer jumped out the forest to the left; they swerved to avoid it and skidded. A lorry came around the corner at that moment and with a loud screech and the tell-tale sound of metal grinding on metal the collided. The lorry ploughed through the small car and it was sent flying to the right where a steep embankment was. The car rolled over on its side down the hill; Valkyrie was surprised at how calm she was, no screaming no thinking she was going to die. It was like it was in slow motion; classical music would have suited very well.

The windscreen was smashed but Valkyrie just kept staring out of it. All the stuff that was in the back of the car came through to the front; missing them narrowly. Pieces of the car fell off and left a track all the way back to the road. The crunching sound continued all the way down the hill; Valkyrie thought of the night when she met Skulduggery when they had been hit by a car then. She remembered being chased through streets and jumping into the canal; she could still recall how cold it was. She shivered slightly at the thought.

Valkyrie was very aware of everything going on around her; the car rocked slightly and came to a halt. She looked at her mum; she was trapped and bleeding badly. Melissa seemed to sense something. "Steph… Love… You… Take… Care… Of… Alice… Get… Out… Car… Love… You… Always…" Valkyrie crawled through the remains of the passenger's window; it cut her up badly but she didn't care. When she was on the ground she fell over something and stumbled backwards. She looked up and seen the flames from the engine grow like a ball of fire in her hand; it spread quickly and engulfed the whole car. Valkyrie watched; horrified as her mum burnt to death.

She felt a twang in her heart and knew it was over. "MUM! MUM! MUM! NO…! No… no." She couldn't stand up; her heart felt like a lead weight and her insides felt like jelly. Her face was stained with tears and blood; she felt broken. She felt alone. She felt fragile.

Valkyrie reached her hand out to the car. "Mum?" She was numb to her soul and her heart hurt. Her eyes were soon hurting from crying. She curled up in a ball where she was and slowly and painfully cried herself to sleep. She dreamed of all the good times with her mum and all the memories were replayed over and over in her head.

Fletcher sat on Ghastly's couch. Valkyrie wasn't answering her phone. "She was supposed to be here six hours ago. I'm worried." Tanith stood up. "I agree with pineapple head; let's go look for her. She's my sister and I care about her!" Ghastly nodded and put Erin and Darrell in his Van. Tanith and Fletcher got in the back and they drove slowly to Valkyrie's parents' house.

What they seen chilled them to the bone.

A red car was on its side away from the road; a trail of pieces of car went from the car to the road. Fletcher recognised the car as Valkyrie's mums. He forgot how to teleport. He ran as fast as he could down the hill. His breath caught in his throat and his heart throbbed. "Val! VAL!" He reached the car and looked inside; he regretted looking in the car. But Val wasn't in there. He turned back and seen her curled up in a ball on the ground.

He walked over to her; she was alive and she was sleeping. But he noticed she was crying in her sleep; he couldn't blame her. Fletcher remembered when his mother had died. He remembered how he had felt. He picked her up and started to carry her towards the road. She woke in his arms; she screamed and tried to get free. "MUM! MUM! Mum…" Fletcher looked into Valkyrie's eyes; they were hollow and dull.

"Val please calm down. I'm so sorry. Val? I love you." She looked into his eyes; she was broken and battered but he was her glue; he was her medicine Fletcher would fix her. He would mend her broken heart. He would take away the bad dreams. He would kiss her better. It would take a lot of kissing but Fletcher could do it. "I need you."

**Aw. I actually cried whilst writing this. Sorry I killed Valkyrie's mum. Does anyone know when Valentine's Day is? I want to write a one-shot but I don't know when it is. For anyone who reviews or PMs me I'll give you a blurb for the one-shot but otherwise it's a surprise. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter.**

**Skylair xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5  wherever you will go

**This is my first attempt at a songfic so please just bear with me. Well the next couple of chapter will be songfics describing different characters reactions to Melissa's death :P Please enjoy then review :D**

_CHAPTER 5: (Melissa pov)_

I'm going to die. I just know. I feel no fear; I'm just curious. What's going to happen to me? I think of my Alice; she probably won't remember me. I look at Steph and she looks at me. Our eyes meet for the last time. "Steph… Love… You… Take… Care… Of… Alice… Get… Out… Car… Love… You… Always…" I managed to choke out. I loved my girls. I was so proud. I was happy and content.

_So lately, been wondering  
>Who will be there to take my place<br>When I'm gone, you'll need love  
>To light the shadows on your face<br>_

Steph will be there for Alice. Forever and always. My girls will stand together. The will be happy and strong. They will be loved.

_If a greater wave shall fall  
>And fall upon us all<br>Then between the sand and stone  
>Could you make it on your own?<br>_

I was having sudden doubts; would Stephanie manage to look after Alice? Desmond will help her. Or he will try anyway…

_If I could, then I would  
>I'll go wherever you will go<br>Way up high or down low  
>I'll go wherever you will go<br>_

If there was a way to look down on them I would find it. My girls will be fine. I love my girls and I will be with them again someday.

_And maybe I'll find out  
>A way to make it back someday<br>To watch you, to guide you  
>Through the darkest of your days<br>_

I will find a way. A buzzing in my ears. A tingling sensation. This was it.

_If a great wave shall fall  
>And fall upon us all<br>Well then I hope there's someone out there  
>Who can bring me back to you<br>_

I heard Steph scream for me. I felt a loss. She was going to miss me and I was going to miss her. But we'll be okay in the end._  
><em>_  
>If I could, then I would<em>_  
>I'll go wherever you will go<em>_  
><em>_Way up high or down low__  
>I'll go wherever you will go<em>

The pain was intense. A bright light; it was orange, yellow and red. It was hot; and it hurt. I put on a brave face._  
><em>_  
>Run away with my heart<em>_  
>Run away with my hope<em>_  
>Run away with my love<em>

I love my family and I was going with dignity; for them._  
><em>_  
>I know now, just quite how<em>_  
>My life and love might still go on<em>_  
>In your heart, in your mind<em>_  
>I'll stay with you for all of time<em>_  
><em> 

I tried to tell her how much I love her. I could hear her screams over the roar of the flames.

_If I could, then I would  
>I'll go wherever you will go<br>Way up high or down low  
>I'll go wherever you will go<br>_

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. Thinking was becoming hard. I was slipping away.

_If I could turn back time  
>I'll go wherever you will go<br>If I could make you mine  
>I'll go wherever you will go<br>I'll go wherever you will go_

I stood behind Stephanie; she saw crying and saying "Mum" over and over. I reached out to put my hand on her shoulder but everything disappeared. I screamed her name but I doubted she heard me. I was gone. I was gone but not forgotten. And I could still love…

**Okay; first songfic… Please tell me what you think. That was really hard to write. Thanks to MaximumCheeseCake for your review and for telling me when Valentine's day is :P and thanks to****Lord Sanguine**** for the idea for the Valentine's one-shot :D**

**Skylair xoxo **


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay in updating; I have been making a scarf for my mum's birthday or trying to… And I don't actually know how to write a funeral scene and I've been writing it over and over but I just can't get it right. This chapter's probably going to be short but I felt like I needed to update coz I haven't in ages so I hope it's okay… **

_CHAPTER 6:_

Valkyrie sat on the couch with her knees pressed against her chest and her head in her hands. Fletcher rubbed circles on her back as she cried silently; she'd been like this for almost a week, crying all day and screaming in her sleep but it seemed like all he could do was cuddle her, talk to her and look after children. Darrell crawled over to the couch and he lifted her up, she reached towards Valkyrie but she didn't notice her. "Val, Darrell wants you."

Valkyrie looked up, her eyes hurt and her head felt like it was going to explode; she was really hurting. She took Darrell in her arms and held her close for the first time in a week. "Hey baby. I love you, forever and always. And even if I'm not there then I'll still love you, I'll still love you baby…" Darrell reached up and wiped the tears away from Valkyries eyes with her small, dimpled, podgy hand. She smiled and started playing with Valkyrie's hair absentmindedly.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Tanith skipped into the room and put Erin down on the floor where she started to play with Alice. Ghastly and Skulduggery followed and stood in the doorway. Valkyrie could only catch snippets of their conversation. "… she like it…"

"Hope so…"

".. lot of effort… expensive… too much… huge…"

"She's worth it…"

".. like her in that way… odd…"

"… not unusual…" Skulduggery caught Val staring at them, he nodded to her and perched himself elegantly on the armchair. "I've got a present for you and sort of Fletcher and the kids as well but mostly you." Valkyrie smiled.

"You didn't have to do that."

"But I wanted to. I hate to see you sad."

"Wow. Serious conversation."

"I bought you a house."

"Oh my god."

Tanith appeared from behind ghastly. "Actually he bought you a farm." Fletchers and Valkyries mouth's fell open at the same time.

**I'm not quite sure where that went… or what I was thinking… it's quite mad… bonkers… strange chapter… don't blame me; im hyper… did you like it?... Please review…**

**Skylair xoxo**

…


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm glad that people liked the last chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews; you guys are awesome! Sorry for the delay in updating. I did actually post that Valentine's day story I was talking about, it's rated M; The Kinky Hitlduggery.**

_CHAPTER 7:_

Fletcher sat in Ghastly's van. "What song is this? I think I've heard it before." Ghastly sighed and cursed Skulduggery for leaving him to drive with a moron. "Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses. Oh, god. Stop singing. Please stop singing." Erin put her hands over her face and giggled. "Shush. Siwwey Flecha."

"Oh, oh, oh, oh  
>Sweet child o' mine<br>Oh,  
>Sweet love of mine"<p>

"Fletcher, shut up or I will kill you." His hand tightened onto fists on the steering wheel, his knuckles were going white. Fletcher shut up and began to tickle Erin, she giggled again and stole Fletcher's phone. "Oi! Ghastly! She stole my phone!" Ghastly chuckled and frowned at the windscreen. "She's not going to do it any harm. If she eats it I'll take responsibility." Fletcher went in a huff and glared out of his window.

Erin pressed buttons on the screen of Fletcher's phone. It came up with "Calling Val." It was ringing, Erin smiled. "Hello. Fletch, have you got the food?"

"Ewo."

"Erin. Heya babes. Tanith wants to speak to you. Oh hey baby, are you having fun?"

"Yesh. Fecha huffy." She giggled and Fletcher stared at her. Ghastly looked down at his daughter and Fletcher could clearly see the love in his eyes. He leaned his head against the window and stared blankly at the trees and bushes and a clear blue sky. Soon he was asleep.

Fletcher woke up to Valkyrie's face pressed against his; a huge grin on her face. "Hi." He groaned. Darrell appeared beside Valkyrie and poked him in the face then she laughed. He noted how Darrell's laughter made Valkyrie's smile even bigger. Tanith came and took Darrell and Valkyrie climbed into the van. She sat on Fletcher's knee so she was straddling him, she put her hands on his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. "Want to go see the house? I haven't peeked yet, to scared he's gone overboard." She laughed and he nodded. Together they walked over to the Bentley where Skulduggery was waiting for them. "Ready?" They nodded. "Jump in." Fletcher climbed into the passengers' seat and Valkyrie sat on his knee. The Bentley's engine purred to life and they drove down the long driveway, tees flew passed the window as gravel crunched under the Bentley's large tyres. The car wove its' way down the disused drive towards the house elegantly, like a shark stalking an unsuspecting fat surfer with sweaty B.O and ugly Hawaiian floury shorts, sleek and powerful. The sunlight shining through the trees played patterns on Valkyrie's blank face as she stared hollowly through the window, absentmindedly fiddling with her hair.

Skulduggery looked over at Valkyrie, she looked so small and vulnerable, so fragile. He was tempted to reach over and give her a hug to comfort her, he really cared, but he wouldn't dare, his hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel. A strange sensation came over him rather suddenly, he shook it off quickly and without hesitation. He couldn't love Valkyrie; no way!

Skulduggery took a speedy look over at Valkyrie, she caught his eye and gave him a shaky smile… well, maybe?

**VALDUGGERY! I've decided to take more care when writing chapters from now on and have the finished chapter a better quality; or try to anyway. I have been reading over some of my stories and recently the quality has slipped so I will take ore care from now on. How are you supposed to write an essay? I fail at them. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me your thoughts or suggestions…**

**Skylair :P**

**xoxo**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in ages. But I've finally managed to write the funeral chapter! And I wrote a story about a wolf for my friend for a competition she entered and she won! The judge said the story was detailed and awesome! I felt so happy about it that I'm pretty sure I started dancing when she told me…**

_Chapter 8:_

Valkyrie's hand shook on the door knob; she looked up at the old, oak doors. It was metal studded and very heavy. It creaked when she opened it. Her footsteps echoed on the cold stone floor. Fletcher peered around the door over her shoulder and gasped. "It's an Aga!" Valkyrie looked at him.  
>"What?" She raised an eyebrow.<br>"The cooker. It's an Aga, although I shouldn't be surprised. It's an old farm." She nodded slowly and glanced at it; it looked old. She wandered into the next room, the living room. The furniture was oak and large, there was a huge flat screen telly on top of a wide cabinet. Fletcher grinned at it. Valkyrie sat on the brown leather couch and patted the space beside her. "Skulduggery does know that I already have Gordon's' house, right?" Fletcher laughed and shrugged.  
>"I know Gordon's is a mansion but I'm sure this is bigger. And it comes with free cows!"<br>"Fletch! It came with two horses, and Skull's already bought it for us. Come on, let's find the bathroom. I want to be the first one to use it!" She grabbed his hand and led him through the doorway.

Fletcher stood outside of the bathroom door and listened. "Fletch? This bathroom is awesome! You have to see the toilet!" He heard the door click as she unlocked it, and he pushed it slowly open. Val stood grinning in the middle of the bathroom, she pointed to the toilet like a freshly potty trained toddler showing their parents what they did. The toilet seat was blue and transparent, it had fish inside it. "That's actually quite creepy."

"What's creepy? Fletcher's hair is creepy!" Tanith appeared at the door, grinning. Fletcher took the bristly brush on a stick that you get for cleaning the toilet and flung it. It bounced off Tanith's forehead. Tanith screamed and ran out to the sink where she began frantically washing her face. Erin wandered up to the sink and stood beside Tanith. "Funny loo." Tanith looked her daughter. "I beg your pardon?" Erin pointed to the toilet. Tanith sighed at patted her head. "Val? Skull needs you outside. Darrell's misbehaving or something."  
>"Why didn't you tell me before?" Tanith shrugged.<p>

Valkyrie hurried out of the room. Her footsteps disappeared down the long hall quickly. She ran out of the house and towards the Bentley, nobody was there. "Skulduggery?" And answering call came from around the corner. She ran in that direction, her heart pounded in her chest. She stopped running when she seen Darrell sitting in a swing being pushed by Ghastly and Ashley sitting on the top of a slide with Skulduggery standing beside him. A big climbing frame stood on the centre of the lawn. "Eh. What's this?" He took off his hat and looked around.  
>"I believe it is a wooden structure, used for children to-"<br>"Oh shut up! Thank you so much Skull!"  
>"What's with the nickname! It's horrific! Nicknames are for unstable people with big hair and knobbly knees!"<p>

"I've got to get home and oh wait I've got to get to my other home and start getting ready for the funeral tomorrow." Her voice cracked and tears stung her eyes. Ghastly wrapped his strong arms around her as she shook in his embrace. "Let's get you home kid."

**Sorry if that was too obviously rushed. I did see a toilet with fish in it once and I was mortified because the fish were moving. They weren't real though. Please review!**

**Skylair****  
>xoxo<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Can't wait to get the funeral chapter up next! This will probably be REALLY short but I think it's necessary. **

_CHAPTER 9:_

Fletcher woke up to Valkyrie gripping him by the shoulders and shaking him. "Wha- What? What do you want?" He rolled over on the bed. She draped her arm over his shoulder and kissed him on the neck. "Fletch! C'mon, we've got to get up. The funeral?" He groaned and looked at her, her hair was tousled, her face was pale and she looked quite shaken. He reached out his hand and caressed her cheek gently. "You okay?" She nodded.

Valkyrie got Darrell and Ashley out of bed and carried them over to the bed where she put them down beside Fletcher. She went over to the camp bed in the corner and picked Alice up. Alice looked around and then at Val. "Morning sunshine." Alice giggled and tugged on Val's hair.

Fletcher came and looked over Val's shoulder, he patted her head. "I'm going in the shower, see you in a few girls… and Ashley." He disappeared into the on suite and Valkyrie sank onto the bed and put her head in her hands.

**Yeah, that was short! But please review!**

**Skylair****  
>xoxo<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**I've been writing and rewriting this chapter for about a month, I just couldn't get it right. But then I asked Mr Walsh for help, he was my English teacher for a few weeks as my normal teacher was off. Without him this chapter would be just a bunch of meaningless words on a page. So this chapter is dedicated to Mr Walsh, and also because he's a complete legend!**

_CHAPTER 10:_

Val stared blankly out of the passengers' window of the sleek black Bentley. The calm, dreary world whizzed by in front of her. Rain fell in sheets; it bounced off the pavement and lashed the windows. The noise was surprisingly soothing, but that's why she hated it.

Alice tugged at the frills at the bottom of her new black dress, as if she could pull them off. Val sighed, "I know babes. It's just for a few hours though. In a few years you probably won't even remember your mum." She gently placed her hand on her baby sisters' knee. "But can you promise me you'll always love her? She's not really gone; she's in your heart, just as she's in mine." The car driver sniffled. Alice stared at him.

The old car rolled to a gentle halt in front of the wrought iron gates. Fletchers' face appeared at the window and he pulled the heavy car door open with a soft click. Then he lifted Alice into his arms, he blew air onto her face playfully; earning a quick glare from his girlfriend in the process. "Hey Val, Tanith's babysitting the twins. Alice's nappy stinks." She sighed and prodded the gate experimentally; it felt cold beneath her soft, warm fingers. "Change it then." Fletcher looked confused. "Tanith's not here?" He shook his head, gave her a chaste kiss on the lips and took Alice in the direction of the toilets. He instantly felt guilty about leaving Val all alone.

Valkyrie spent most of the next hour and a half in a daze. She felt as if she was watching somebody else at their mothers' funeral. She only realised what was going on when she was being asked to give a speech about her Mum.

She stood up on shaky legs and walked slowly up the aisle, she walked past the light pine-coloured coffin and past the framed pictures of her Mum smiling. She was very aware of everybody's' on her as she walked to the altar. She pivoted slowly and looked around herself in awe. The sun was starting to come out again outside, it streamed through the wide, oversized, coloured church windows and tinted everything golden. It was a twisted sort of beautiful.

Her stomach seemed like it was jumping around inside her torso, she feared that if she opened her mouth she would say too much. Her eyes met her Dad's, he looked truly heartbroken. She didn't want to hurt anybody. But she had to say something.

"I really don't know what to say. Mum's gone but she's not going to be forgotten. And I will never stop loving her." Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes stung with tears tat5 refused to flow. Fletcher hurried over and wrapped his strong arms around her. He offered her a weak ghost of a smile, like a smile in a photograph of a place you can't quite remember.

A wall of bodies surrounded the gravesite, all clad in black. Many people said they were sorry for her loss when Valkyrie wandered through them. She looked at the coffin, a bronze plaque stood proudly out on the lid, it read, "Melissa Edgley, 1974 – 2012".

Valkyrie placed her bouquet of roses just above the plaque. She patted the solid wood with the palm of her and. "G'night Mummy." She slipped into the sea of people where she seemed obscured from view by the crowds.

If anyone had watched her close enough they would have seen her stand just inside the crowd and look back over her shoulder. As the first shovelful of dirt hit the clean, polished wood of Melissa Edgleys' coffin with a thump, her eldest daughter disappeared into the chilly, breezeless day, looking slightly lost.

But does anybody actually pay that much attention? Zorro Twain does.

**Hope you guys liked it! Please review!**

**Skylair xo**


	11. Chapter 11

**I have added an A/N to the last chapter as I meant to put one in and forgot. I'm not sure about the actual dates in this chapter, I got the idea when I was playing **_**Concrete Angel **_**by **_**Martina McBride **_**on my phone and my friend started to confide in me and become sentimental… Don't really mind though.**

_CHAPTER 11:_

"Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone, in a world that she can't rise above, but her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place, where she's loved. Concrete angel…" The lyrics of the song floated through the doorway of Gorgon's study, Fletcher stopped by the door. Valkyrie was curled up on the floor with her head resting in her knees, her hands gripped her hair and she was sobbing. "Val!" He ran into the room, his footsteps thudded on the floor. She didn't look up.

Fletcher turned the music off, he thought it was depressing. "Turn that back on!" He crouched beside her and placed a hand on her back. "It's upsetting you. It's a sad song. I know you are missing your mum, I miss mine sometimes too. It's just like-" "Shut up Fletcher. And put that song back on. I'm missing Gordon actually, that song reminds me of him. Did you know the release date is the last day we ever spent together, the last time I ever saw him." She broke down in tears again.

Fletcher put his strong arms around her small frame and picked her up, bridal style. "Sweetheart, you've got your family waiting on you downstairs. And, I can't get Darrell to eat her dinner." He chuckled and carried her down the stairs. Tanith looked up when she heard them coming. "You found her. Where was she?"  
>"Gordon's study."<br>"Val! You had me worried. But I wasn't allowed to look for you. I was looking after your children. " She sighed and hugged her best friend. "You okay?"

Valkyrie nodded. "They won't have a granny." Tanith blinked.  
>"They have Skulduggery. They won't know the difference."<br>"Skulduggery's a dude." Tanith shrugged.  
>"He's an it. If he was a man, he would have a pe-"<br>"TANITH! Children in the room!" Tanith grinned and made a rude gesture with her fingers.

**It's short. My apostrophe button isn't working properly. But alas, spellcheck is here! What do you think? Please review.**

**Skylair xo**


	12. Chapter 12

**! IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Right. Okay people. I understand. I haven't been updating. And this story has NOT gone crazy. I have NOT lost it. I haven't forgotten about Darquesse. The farm is very important, later on in the story. I've got this story all planed out and figured out. Val's mum died for a reason. I've not forgotten about Erin/Olga's father or mother. The gang has been loaded with children for a reason. I'm not going to tell you too much, I don't want to give out too many spoilers. Thanks to anybody who reviewed. And congratulations to MaximumCheeseCake and Forever Hopeful 157, who are lucky enough to get into this story. And to anybody who has stopped reading, why? Is it because I've not been updating? Is there not enough action? It's all coming back people, just give it another chance?**

_**Chapter 12:**_

Tanith held the electric whisk firmly in her hand. It whirred around the bowl, mixing all the ingredients. Erin watched, mesmerised, as the white powder, flour, disappeared into the yellow slop. A loud knocking at the door made Tanith jump. She handed Erin the bowl of cake mix and a spoon. "Just keep mixing it Honey; I'll be back in a minute." She grabbed a tea towel and jogged to the door, wiping her hands. She used the towel to open the door with. "Hey, if you're look-"  
>"Where is my daughter?" Tanith stepped back, surprised by the woman's outburst.<br>"Pardon?" The red-headed woman stepped forwards, her hazel eyes blazing.  
>"My daughter. I want my daughter!" Erin stood in the doorway, the sticky spoon in her hands. She smiled sweetly.<br>"It's all mixed, Mummy." Tanith motioned for Erin to stand behind her, as the tot complied. She stood on one of the lower stairs, half hidden in shadow.

"Ma'am, you must be confused. I Haven't got your girl." The red-head pointed to Erin.  
>"Olga?" Erin froze, the spoon fell from her grip and clattered into the stairs; spraying cake mix onto the walls. Her small, dimpled hands started shaking. Tanith saw the fear on the toddlers' face. She drew her sword on crouched down into a fighting position. "She's mine! That's MY baby!" The bright-eyed woman in the doorway unsheathed a gleaming sword, the sunlight reflected off it and bounced in all directions. The swords clashed, pictures got knocked of the walls of Ghastly's' hall, Erin scrambled further up the stairs in fear of being trampled as she watched, with wide eyes.<p>

Tanith tripped over the bottom stair and landed heavily. Her breath disappeared in a rush. She looked up, trying to catch her breath. Erin was behind her, up the steps a bit. The lady was standing over her, sword raised about her torso. Something was moving behind the woman. Tanith squinted. It was Ghastly, running up the path, silently, with a bag of shopping in his hand. He reached the door. He grabbed an umbrella off the coat stand and lifted it up in both hand before bringing it down on the woman's head. She gasped and fell on the floor with a loud thud.

Tanith sat up slowly, her arm was bleeding through her T-shirt and her ankle was twisted. Erin stood at her side and rested her head on Tanith's shoulder. He started to pick up the broken glass of the picture frames that had got knocked off the wall. He carried it over to the bin, dumped it and came back. The photos were stacked neatly on the table. Tanith put the red-head in shackles before dragging her though into the other room and checking her injuries. Nothing serious.

Erin helped Ghastly to put away the shopping, finish making the cakes and put them in the oven. He then went and cleaned the hall properly. Erin watched as Tanith tended to her cut arm. She washed it and looked at it before bandaging it. "Is it bad mummy?" Tanith took Erin onto her lap and kissed her forehead.  
>"No baby, just a scratch. Are you hurt at all?" Erin shook her head and blew her fringe away from her eyes, it fell over them again. "Mummy, my fringe is annoying. It's in my eyes again." Tanith chuckled and played with her daughters chocolate-coloured ringlets. "Your hair's quite long. Maybe we could get it cut." Erin looked panicked, frightened by the idea. "Okay. I won't. Don't panic babe."<p>

Ghastly came into the kitchen, looking stressed. "She's awake. Her name is Zorro Twain. She's claiming to be Mr J's ex-wife. But she won't co-operate with me. She's stubborn. She just wants her daughter." He tugged on his shirt collar.  
>"But what if she's Erin's mother? Will we have to give her away?"<br>"No. She's legally ours. But what happened today should never have got that out of hand. She pulled out a weapon on you when a young child was there. You could both be seriously hurt, or worse." Ghastly shook his head.  
>"It was my fault. I pulled out my sword first." Tanith bit her lip and looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction.<br>"I think we should hand her in to the sanctuary. She'll be safer there, and sanctuary. She'll be safer there, and you and Erin will be safer with her there."  
>"Oh, Ghastly. You can't lock her up for that. If you could, I should have been in jail hundreds of times."<br>"If we're talking about mortal laws, she's broken a lot of them in just the past few hours. I'm not talking about arresting her. Just keeping an eye on her for a while, a very close eye. And keeping you safe, we've got too many enemies around right now. Don't forget, Sanguine will stop at nothing to have you back." Tanith shook her head.  
>"Oh, please, don't remind me. At least we're safe now."<br>"No. But we will be once I get miss Twain to the sanctuary." He crouched down and opened the oven door. A load of hot air wafted through the room. He reached an oven-mit-clad hand into the cooked and proceeded to bring out the cakes. He put them on the bunker and took off the mits before nudging the oven closed with the toe of his shoe. "I'll take her away now." He kissed Tanith's head and Erin's. His hand reached out and snatched the car keys from the table. "Be careful." Tanith reached over and grabbed crumbs of cake from the edges of the tin. She shovelled them into her mouth. "You too!" She listened to the door shut and Ghastly's car drive away.

**Longest chapter of this story so far. What do you think of it? Please review! And do you want to see anything particular in this story? Do you want Skulduggery to have crush on China? Do you want somebody to get hit by a car? TELL ME! Do you want to know a secret? If you click on the review button, get the review box, grab the blue bit at the top and drag it to the very top of your computer screen. The whole screen goes blue. Drag the box back down and it goes normal again. It's wicked. Try it. Oh, and drop me a review while you're playing with the box?**

**~Skylair xo**


	13. Chapter 13

**Oh, hello! I didn't see you there! Well, as you can see, I'm back. What do you mean, "Back from where?" That's complicated. I've had writers' block. It's still there, sort of. But thanks to everyone who reviewed, and everyone who helped me to try and get rid of the writer block. Derek Landy has posted the first chapter of the next book, Kingdom of The Wicked, on the UK Skulduggery Pleasant website! It's amazing! I can't wait until the book comes out! Okay, back to the subject… Where was I? Oh, yeah, right. So I'm just recovering from writers' block, so this chapter might not be the best. But it's here, isn't it? It took me long enough! I really need to update more often!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 13:<strong>_

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><p>Miss. Twain yelled abuse at Ghastly through the van as he drove. He didn't like driving through the littered, dirty, scum-overrun streets of Roarhaven. They passed a measly thing sticking out the ground, Ghastly guessed that it used to be a tree, long ago, before some idiot with a bad haircut and bad b.o came along and burned it. He halted the van outside the sanctuary building; it really was an ugly building, it had grey concrete outer walls with peeling white paint, patches of bird turds could be seen near the roof. The inside was no better.<p>

Ghastly went to help the handcuffed female out his van, she glared at him but allowed him to help her. He held the handcuffs tightly as they walked. When inside, they meandered through the quiet, dull grey corridors until they reached the Elders' meeting room. Ghastly took a seat at the end of the table and instructed Zorro to sit beside him. She sat down, albeit reluctantly.

The wait on his fellow Elders was not a long one, and for this Ghastly was thankful. The grand mage, Erskine Ravel, came into the room and sat opposite his friend; Madam Mist followed and sat to Ravels' right. "Bespoke, to what do we owe this pleasure?" He chuckled. Ghastly motioned to the girl beside him,  
>"This is Zorro Twain. Earlier today, she came to my house and attacked my wife when my daughter was present. She believes herself to be an ex-wife to Mr J. and came for "her child". I worry for my family's safety, and therefore, I ask your permission to put her in a secure place where she is not going to cause havoc, and she will be safe. Sir?"<p>

Ravel nodded, "You are an Elder, and yet, you decided to ask permission first. I respect that, as I respect you. Now, let us decide." He huddled close to Madam Mist; they talked in hushed tones so Ghastly couldn't hear them. He glanced at Zorro, she sat calm and collected.

They made a decision and Erskine and Mist turned back to the table. "I shall personally make sure she gets put in a suitable place. And I'll let you go back to your week off and your family." Ghastly nodded,  
>"Thanks Grand Mage." He handed the red-head over to his friend and started to leave.<br>"Oh, and Ghastly? Consider yourself fired." Ravel shut the door behind him.

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><p><strong>AN**

******O_o**

* * *

><p>Ghastly was taking a while to get home. It was making Tanith impatient. She sat on the sofa and watched Erin take a nap, her long eyelashes rested on her soft cheek and her chocolate ringlets framed her small face and splayed out on the cushion. Tanith ran her fingers through her daughters' curls and thought of London. She remembered slaying trolls and causing trouble. And she remembered her big brother, she remembered when she was a child, she told him he would be the only boy in her life. Tanith laughed at her memories, she had some very funny ones with Valkyrie.<p>

She was sitting on the floor, laughing to herself when Ghastly came in and sat behind her. He wrapped his strong arms around her torso and nuzzled her neck with his beard, "Ghastly! Ghastly! That tickles! Stop it!" She squirmed around in his embrace and squealed as he tickled her more. She looked up and caught a glimpse of his face; his cheeks were wet and his eyes were puffy and red. "Ghastly? Why have you been crying? What a manly thing to do." He stopped tickling her and sat up straight. He shook his head and sighed, "I don't really want to talk about it." Tanith put her hand on his broad shoulder,  
>"What happened? Babe! Are you ignoring me? What's wrong?" He hugged her and leaned back against the table,<br>"Erskine fired me today. I don't know why, but he did. Then he shut the door on me." Tanith leaned against his muscled chest.  
>"Well, now I don't have a husband that wears a robe." They laughed and cuddled some more.<p>

Tanith could tell Ghastly was really affected by this; Ravel was one of his best friends, they had been through a lot together. She could see Ghastly felt let down, and he felt guilty because he let his friend down. She watched him do housework, he didn't really seem into it and wasn't enjoying himself, but it needed to be done, he said. Tanith would have helped him, but she's far too childish for such things.

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><p><strong>Maybe I should have written a little more? But, as I have said, I'm just recovering from writers block. <strong>**What has they done to the review box? I can't play around with it anymore! **** Oh god! That face looks freakishly scary on my laptop screen! Why did it do that? Right, somebody asked for Valkyrie to hit Skulduggery with a car, and another person asked for Fletcher to be hit by a car, as they want to see some Valduggery. Thanks so much for spell check, it's silly hours in the morning as I write this, my brain has turned off. My spelling is atrocious. A funny-looking person is hitting me repeatedly because the laptop is bright and they want to sleep, so I must allow them their rest or they will be grumpy tomorrow. Have fun with your lives and tell me what you thought of this chapter!**

**Skylair xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

**I haven't updated in like, two months! I'm sorry! I've really had a lot on my mind though, my uncle's wedding, my granddad died, holidays, went back to school the other day… And I've still got writers' block! And my dad borrowed my memory pen and lost it, and it had all my writing stuff on it! **

_**Chapter 14:**_

Madam Mist strode confidently through the dark corridor, she adjusted her veil as she walked; making sure it fell over her face and didn't let her true beauty show. Footsteps approached her from behind; she turned to see Shadow Irate smiling at her, "Elder Mist, did you succeed in your task?" Madam Mist shot the teen a heated glare.  
>"First of all, you address me properly, as I am an Elder. And I will not discuss my business with you, child." She creaked the door open and slipped inside, leaving Shadow alone in the corridor.<p>

Mist walked around the large oak table and took a seat between Billy Ray Sanguine and Dusk. Shadow crept through the door and sat in the nearest free seat, beside Mr J and Caelan. Mr J looked around; confirming that everyone was present, then he cleared his throat loudly. "Mist?" The Elder looked up lazily at the mention of her name. "For you." He slid an envelope across the table and into her waiting hand. She nodded, "So, with Bespoke out the picture, is Skulduggery Pleasant next to leave the sanctuary?"  
>"Oh, no, no, no. It will be far more interesting and fun if we keep him in on this." Mr J smiled crookedly and pulled a smaller envelope out of his jacket pocket, he handed it to Mist, "This contains two pills, get Valkyrie Cain to consume them." The Elder nodded and tucked the brown paper envelope away safely in her robe. Sanguine held up his hand, "Sir? Mr J? It would be nice to know exactly who we're working for, could you bless us with your full name." Mr J smiled and turned to Sanguine.<br>"Billy Ray, yes, Of course, how smart of you to be so cautious. I'm Frightening Jones."

"I've heard of you, you used to go out with Tanith Low, you're a good guy!" Frightening laughed.  
>"Oh, not any more. And Tanith, I do still have feelings for her, such a sweet girl." He smiled fondly as his mind replayed some of his best memories with the blonde English girl. Sanguine stood up, "Tanith is mine. She loves me now!" Frightening nodded and motioned for him to sit down.<br>"That is very well, I'm happy for you, but isn't she married to another man?" He raised an eyebrow and grinned like a Cheshire cat as Sanguine's face went red, to blue, to purple, then back to red again. "She is MINE!" He punched the table, "She loves ME!" He stomped his foot on the stone floor. Shadow Irate laughed at him.

After Frightening called the meeting to an end, Madam Mist sped out the door. Shadow watched as Sanguine popped some painkillers into his mouth and tunnelled through the ground, Dusk leaped out the window and raced into the night. Caelan waited a few minutes before flitting after him. Frightening nodded to her and disappeared through another door she hadn't even realised was there. Shadow slipped out the door and wandered down the corridor, her shoes padding on the hard, cold floor.

**What did you think? Please review! What did they do to the review box? The new one is too weird, I think it puts people off reviewing, it takes more effort now. I'm really considering writing a Twilight fic, should I? Would you read it if I did? Review or PM me your thoughts. Anybody got any ideas for this story? Please tell me! The next chapter is going to have to be a Fletcher / Valkyrie one, haven't written about them in ages. It feels like years ago I started writing Her Own… Lovely, but it was only January this year! Right, it's getting late and I have school tomorrow, (they've started making us wear ties this year! Really ugly blue and black striped ones!)**

**~Skylair xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

**Why does it always take me so long to update?! I don't realise how long it is until I actually do update. I was going to update yesterday, I swear, I started writing this chapter, and ended up writing the new one-shot, Homeward Bound, about Tanith and the remnant. My phone keeps going off, and it's just fac****ebook! Stupid t****hings, like, "**_** ~#?&%**_** shared a photo." I DON'T CARE! And for those special people who I sent a copy of the Norse mythology story to, I'm seriously considering writing it as a Skulduggery Pleasant story, with Aislinn being Val, and Vlandimeer as Erskine, what do you think? **

_**Chapter (I can't remember what chapter this is, so I'll just guess) 14:**_

"Boo!"  
>"That goes on my list of Skulduggery's creepiest ways to answer his phone."<br>"Why would you make a list of that?"  
>"I don't."<br>"But you just said you do. Do you or don't you?"  
>"I didn't, but I do now. Happy?"<br>"No."  
>"Why?"<br>"I don't have enough space in my garage."  
>"Don't have enough space for what?"<br>"A donkey."  
>"Why in the name of all that's holy would you want a donkey?"<br>"In the bible-"  
>"You! Read the bible!"<br>"As I was saying, in the bible, all the gods and really important and beautiful people ride on donkeys."  
>"Why would you read the bible?"<br>"Why would you not?"  
>"So, you're replacing the Bentley with a donkey which you can't ride, as you are not a god, nor are you beautiful."<br>"I am so beautiful!"  
>"You go as yourself on Halloween!"<p>

Valkyrie stood in the middle of the living room in Gordon's mansion. Darrell as under the coffee table, trying out self-cannibalism on her podgy, dimpled hand. "I don't think you called just to argue with me, what are you about to ask for?"  
>"Could you give me a lift to Tanith's? Please?"<br>"No. You have legs. Walk."  
>"I also have children."<br>"I need to teach to how to drive."  
>"You do."<br>"I'll do that today. Ditch your kids with Tanith and we shall run away!"  
>"Are you high?"<br>"Haven't the foggiest."  
>"I'll take that as a yes."<p>

She bent down and looked under the table. Darrell's big, brown eyes looked blankly back at her, she smiled around her hand. Val opened her arms and her daughter crawled gladly in them. She fit perfectly into her mother's arms; they smiled at each other with matching chocolate eyes. Val tickled and Darrell laughed, slapping her mother with her slaver-coated hand. "Darrell, that's gross." Darrell squealed in delight at the sound of her own name. Val threw the squirming, smiling baby up in the air and caught her again, Darrell laughed louder, waking her brother.

Ashley's lips quivered like he was going to cry, but Val lent over to speak to him, Darrell twisted around and placed a big, sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek. Ashley giggled.

Skulduggery walked into the room and stood by the door, "Your chauffeur has arrived madam." Valkyrie picked up one of Tanith's magazines from the coffee table and threw it at him. His hand snuck up and caught it in mid-air, he turned it over and read the front cover, "Bedtime reading?" She glared at him.

A big, silver Bentley Mulsanne stood proudly in the driveway, shining brightly in the sunlight. "Wow! I had no idea you kept this car!"  
>"Well, I paid for it! And only because it's for somebody I love!" She stared at him, her eyes wide.<br>"What?"  
>"Not like that, like a daughter."<br>"Oh." She nodded. He got in the car and shut the door. She shook her head and strapped Ashley in behind him. She walked to the other side of the car and, after a short wrestling match, strapped Darrell in beside her brother. She slid into the passenger's side and buckled up. They sped through the streets of Dublin. The ride to Ghastly's shop didn't last very long with Skulduggery behind the wheel.

Valkyrie got Darrel out the car and Skulduggery got Ashley, Darrell clung to the straps on her car seat like a koala. Valkyrie tickled her under the arms and she let go, squealing a little bit. She shut the car door and jogged into the shot with Darrell bouncing on her hip. Erin saw her coming and jumped out Ghastly's arms to run over. Val lifted her up and gave Darrell to Tanith. Erin chatted with Valkyrie and got her to taste the muffins she and Tanith had made the day before; Valkyrie nodded and said it was great. When Erin turned around to talk to Skulduggery, she hurriedly washed her mouth out.

Tanith stayed to babysit, while Ghastly came with Skulduggery and Valkyrie on her first driving lesson. He brought his video camera. Skulduggery drove to a big, empty car park with a few recycling bins on one edge, a wall on another and fields on the last two. He drove to the gate and got out. Val shuffled over, into the drivers' seat. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for him to get back in the car. Ghastly parked his van in the field, where it wasn't at risk.

"Push this pedal all the way down." He pointed to the pedal marked Clutch. She put her left foot on it and pushed it all the way down. "Now put it in first, it will only start moving in first." She wiggled the gearstick around until the light came on to say it was in first. "Right, gently let the pedal up until you hear the noise change." She slowly lifted her foot, the noise went from a whirr to a purr, she held the pedal there as the car started to roll. "Now press the accelerator." She pushed down on the accelerator with her right foot and the car lurched forwards. "Gentle. Keep your foot on the accelerator. Let the clutch go." She drove a slow lap of the car park.

"Try changing gear. Press the clutch again." She pushed she clutch pedal down. "Quickly, put it into second." She wriggled the gearstick until the second gear light came on. "Find the bite." She let her foot up until the noise changed and the car lurched forwards again. "steady!"

They practised changing gears until she could do it almost smoothly. He got her to drive a lap in reverse. "Now, see that parking space over there? The one that has the reserved sign? Par the car in there. I'll stand beside the parking space, filming you and making sure you don't crash. Good luck!" He sprung out the door and clicked it close behind him before she could say a word. She felt a hell of a lot less confident without Skulduggery in the car. She turned around to see him with his phone pointed at her, giving her the thumbs up, and nodding. Ghastly had his tripod and professional-looking camera set up, pointing right at her.

She dong one more lap and approached the car park. She drove just past it and slid the car into reverse. She crawled backwards into the parking space. She had to be careful not to get the curb or the wall behind. She felt like she was going to sneeze. Skulduggery gave her the thumbs up. She sneezed, and it was a big sneeze, her foot slammed down on the accelerator and she jerked the steering wheel. The Bentley roared and ploughed backwards, narrowly missing the wall, going over the curb as if it wasn't there. She heard a crunch and a cry of surprise and pain. She stomped on the brake and shoved it into third. She threw the car forwards and cut the engine before diving out the door to assess the damage.

Skulduggery lay still on the floor. He didn't move at all when she prodded him. She picked up his phone and stopped it recording. Ghastly came running over, "What did you do?"  
>"I sneezed."<br>"That was a big sneeze."  
>"It was, wasn't it?" They stood there awkwardly. She pointed to Skulduggery. "I've killed him." She felt numb.<br>"I doubt you have, you've probably just electrocuted him or something."  
>"Maybe we should take him to Nye?" Ghastly nodded.<br>"We probably should." He picked Skulduggery up and placed in in the back seat of the Bentley. "You can drive him, I'll catch you up." He smiled at her.  
>"But I don't know the way to the sanctuary!" Ghastly pointed to skulduggery's phone in her hand.<br>"GPS, it's on his phone, linked to yours. He calls it the Val-tracker. I assume you've been to Roarhaven in the last 24 hours?" She nodded.

The "Val-tracker" on Skulduggery's phone came up with directions to Roarhaven. She placed it on the dashboard. Squeezing the wide Bentley through the gates was surprisingly easy. It handled amazingly well. She followed the Direction on the "Val-tracker". She jerked the car when changing gears and starting and stopping. It dawned on her that they had only practised left had turns. She cut through traffic, missed red lights and at one point she drove on the wrong side of the road.

She hid her face as she received middle fingers and horns blaring. She began to calm down and enjoy herself once she was out of the city and flying down narrow country roads. She laughed when she went down steep hills fast and her belly tickled. She slammed on the brakes when a tractor exited a field in front of her. Skulduggery groaned and she felt guilty for the bumpy ride he was enduring. She felt terrible that she had hurt him. She followed the tractor down the road at a ridiculously slow speed. She crept the car to the right, there was no car coming the other way. She pressed down on the accelerator and the Bentley purred and overtook easily.

The burn to her left became a river, which gradually widened into a lake. The lake became darker and muddier as she drove. The trees became deader and uglier as she got nearer to Roarhaven. She urged the car around the tight corners on the small, smelly streets. She parked outside the sanctuary.

She looked at Skulduggery, now lying in a heap on the floor of the car due to her driving. She tugged on his leg and he fell onto the pavement with a loud thump. He groaned. "Sorry!" She closed the car door and looked down at him. The man she looked up to, who she respected, and she thought of as a father, he lay on the ground looking broken. She had done that, to him. She picked him up off the ground as gently as she could. He sighed in her arms.

She walked through the sanctuary with the skeleton detective in her arms. People stared, moving out of her way. Tears began to roll freely down her cheeks. She thought of her mother as she marched. She thought of her baby sister, who had spent her first birthday looking under the couch and in the cupboards, calling for her mother. She remembered how Alice cried when she was told that Mummy wasn't there. She thought of her own little children, what would they do if she wasn't there? Would they remember her?

She tried to shake off her thoughts. She knocked on Nye's door. She rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited. The door handle turned and the door opened very slightly. "Somebody who actually knocks. Is this an assassination attempt?" Valkyrie shook her head, but remembered that Nye couldn't see her. "I've got a patient for you."  
>"I want to say that I'm busy, but I'm actually not, I just can't be bothered." Its squeaky voice irritated Valkyrie.<br>"It's the skeleton detective. He's dying, can you save him? Please?" She sobbed into Skulduggery's shoulder. Nye opened the door all the way. It pointed to the operating table. She lay Skulduggery down and stepped back. Nye began to take his clothes off, until there was just a skeleton in a hat lying on the table, with many broken bones and a pile of blue and white material lying on the chair.

Erskine came into the room, "I'll stay, to make sure Nye behaves." He pushed Val out the room and shut the door behind her. Ghastly approached her, he smiled weakly. She nodded and sat on the floor outside the door. "I'll go and get you a cup of tea. You had better call Tanith, she will be getting worried." He walked off in the direction of the Elder's room. She sighed and took out her phone. Tanith was second on her speed dial. "Val. What's keeping you?"  
>"We're at the sanctuary."<br>"Mind if I ask why?"  
>"I ran Skulduggery over." Tanith laughed down the phone. "IT'S NOT FUNNY, TANITH! I thought I'd killed him!" The laughter ceased. "So, how did you manage to actually run over Skulduggery Pleasant?"<br>"I sneezed." Tanith laughed even louder than before.

Ghastly came back with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his face. "Sup?"  
>"What?" Tanith said.<br>"Tanith, shush, I'm speaking with your husband." Tanith stopped talking. Ghastly sat down beside Valkyrie.  
>"I'm not allowed in the Elder's lounge anymore. Mist is making us tea and will bring it to us." Valkyrie stared at him.<br>"Wow, seriously?"  
>"I know, I didn't believe it either." They sat in silence for a few seconds, until Tanith screamed down the phone that she wanted to know that was happening. "TANITH! Mind my ear drums! Mist is making us tea, that's all."<br>"What? Mist? Make you tea? Who is that and what have they done with the troll?" Ghastly laughed after hearing what Tanith said. "I don't know."

Madam Mist came around the corner with two mugs of steaming tea in her hands. She gave Ghastly a red cup, and Valkyrie a blue one with a picture of the pope on it. She took a sip of it. It tasted normal. Maybe a little sweet, but Mist didn't know how many sugar she liked. "Thanks." She murmured around the cup. Mist nodded and walked away. "Why does the sanctuary have pope cups?" She pointed at the cup in her hand.  
>"When you're an Elder, you have to buy the other Elders Christmas and birthday presents. Mist got these after she gave Erskine the badge from the bonnet of his own car."<br>"That seems a little unfair, he actually spent money on her."  
>"Not really, he found them for 1 Pence on Ebay." They laughed. Val drank her tea and fiddled with the cup.<br>"Nye's taking a long time." Ghastly put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.  
>"Don't worry, it knows what it's doing, and Erskine wouldn't let it misbehave. Skulduggery's his best friend." She nodded.<br>"You're right." She relaxed and looked at the picture of the guy in a weird hat on the cup. She was nervous, and incredibly guilty, her stomach felt funny.

**Longest chapter I've ever written! By almost 1000 words! *does a celebratory dance* What did you think of the longest chapter ever written by me? Please review! And have you read my new Skulduggery Pleasant one-shot, I'm quite proud of it! And for Lord Sanguine, Val ran Skulduggery over, and a little bit of Valduggery for Lucilia Venom, there will be more Valduggery in the next chapter! Review or PM your thoughts or suggestions about the story! **

**~Skylair xo**


	16. Chapter 16

**I haven't updated in… A while. I'm sorry, here, have a cookie. *Hands a cookie to the computer*.  
>Also, I'm looking for a beta reader for this story. If you have any suggestion or would to beta for me please PM me or review! Thanks!<strong>

_**Chapter 16:**_

The bathroom door was white, with a black sign on it saying "female". Ghastly knocked gently on the glossy door. He heard an unwomanly grunt from inside. "Tanith? I've got a few bottles of water for Val."  
>"Come on in, and shut the door behind you." He could hear the sound of the door being unlocked. He pulled the door open and slipped inside.<p>

Valkyrie was kneeling on the floor, hunched over the toilet with her face down, her pale, sweaty hands were gripping the sides of the toilet seat. Tanith was crouched behind her friend, holding back her long hair and rubbing circles on her back. Ghastly could hear Valkyrie vomiting into the toilet but he adverted his eyes, taking sudden interest in the stainless steel taps over the sink. He fiddled with them, turning the water on and off. Valkyrie coughed and sat back. She twisted her body around slowly to rest her head on the cold tiles that coated the walls. Tanith stood and leaned over to flush the toilet, she looked at the ceiling to avoid having to see the contents of Val's' stomach.

Ghastly look at Valkyrie, she was deadly pale and soaked in sweat. There were dark rings under her eyes and she was shaking. Her eyelids fluttered and she opened her eyes, she looked up at ghastly. Her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed and her cheeks were puffy, she was crying. Tanith was staring at her best friend with wide eyes and a sorry expression on her face. Ghastly took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze before heading to the counter where he had left the water. He took a bottle in his strong hands and cracked it open. He walked over to Val and sat beside her. "Do you want a drink of water?" She nodded, once, slowly, as if every movement caused her pain. He lifted the bottle to her lips and poured a little into her mouth. She swallowed it then breathed deeply; it then became obvious to him that the girl was in a lot of pain. "Tanith, we should get her out of here, to a doctor." Tanith nodded. She picked up hers and Val's coats from the corner where they had been tossed earlier. She slung them over her and she grabbed the bottle of water from beside her husband.

Ghastly turned his attention back to Valkyrie, "Val, can you stand? Could you walk?" She tried to say something but no sound escaped from between her lips, which were slowly becoming blue. Ghastly put his hand in front of her face and realised she was barely breathing. He put his arm around her and slowly pulled her to her feet, she winced when he moved her. Ghastly supported her weight and slowly they moved towards the door. Tanith stood awkwardly by the door, waiting to open it for them.

As Tanith watched, Valkyries' eyes rolled back into her head and her knees buckled and she went down, but Ghastly caught her mid-fall. She started coughing and retching then she leaned forwards and vomited again, it splattered over the floor. There was blood everywhere. Tanith looked at Valkyrie again; blood was trickling over her lower lip and down her chin, coming from her mouth and from her nose. She was crying more now and shaking really hard. The trembling in the girls' body got worse and worse until Ghastly could barely hold onto her. "Tanith! Quick! Go and get Nye!" Tanith dropped everything she was holding; she turned and sprinted out the door to the sound of her friend vomiting blood again.

Ghastly laid Valkyrie out on the floor, in the pool of her own blood. He fought to keep her still. Blood still pumped from her nose and her mouth. He kept wiping it with his sleeve so she could breathe but it just kept pumping. He knelt in the pool of Valkyries blood and her vomit, his clothes her drenched in it as he struggled to keep the girl alive.

The door burst open and Tanith ran in with Nye, Erskine and a sorcerer Ghastly had seen a few times around the sanctuary but didn't really know who it was. Nye shoved Ghastly out of the way; he slid into the wall beside the door. Erskine and the sorcerer whose name Ghastly didn't know kneeled beside Valkyrie's shuddering bloodied form. Nye began barking orders at the men to get the girl into the operating room. Erskine lifted her up bridal style and turned to the door. Tanith hurriedly opened the door and stared down the corridor as her friend was whisked away.

Ghastly took his wife in his arms and held her as she cried into his chest. They stood together in the middle of the restrooms, in huge pile of blood and vomit. "Hey, Tan. I'm going to clean myself up. Why don't you go and check on the kids? Wait for me in there." She nodded and they headed towards the door. Tanith went into the sanctuary's library and Ghastly went to the door of the Elders' quarters.

When Tanith walked into the room Darrel and Ashley were sleeping in their car seats and Alice was sleeping on an armchair. Erin was standing talking to the librarian, she ran over when she saw Tanith coming around the corner. "Mummy!" Erin jumped and Tanith caught her in mid-air. She pulled her daughter close to her and buried her face in Erin's bouncy, chocolate-coloured ringlets, they were soft and smelled like strawberries. Erin laughed and Tanith's heart skipped a beat. "Mummy, can I go see Daddy?" Erin stared at her parent with big, bright blue eyes that Tanith couldn't resist. She carried the girl to the Elders quarters. She knocked on the door and Ghastly opened it. "Thought you weren't an Elder anymore." Ghastly shrugged, "They have showers in here, and I still have some clothes in here." Tanith nodded.  
>"Do you want your daughter for a bit, she has been asking for you." Erin reached towards him and Ghastly took the tot into his strong arms. "I will always have time for my angel." He kissed his wife's cheek then he shut the door and left her alone in the corridor.<p>

Tanith went back into the library, the librarian smiled at her and she smiled back. Alice looked up from her armchair and waved. Tanith walked over and sat on the chair beside hers. "Hi Tanny."  
>"Hi Ally. Did you have a nice sleep?"<br>"No."  
>"Why not?"<br>"Because I'm cold, and tired."  
>"Is that a hint?"<br>"Maybe."  
>"Does Ally want a cuddle from Tanny?"<br>"She does." Tanith opened her arms and Alice crawled over the armrests and into them, dragging her blanket along with her. She laid her head on Tanith's chest and soon fell asleep again. Tanith watched the girl sleep, she loved the way she pouted and smiled and murmured as she dreamed. With her eyes closed, Alice looked a lot like her big sister. Tanith moved a few stray strands of short, dark hair from the child's face. Watching Alice dream made Tanith start to feel tired and soon sleep came to meet her.

Sanguine tunnelled through the ground, moving in his own little air bubble. He could feel a solid wall coming up ahead so he went further down. The concrete floor zipped past his head. He navigated easily through the earth under the sanctuary and topped under the point where he was to surface. He took his mobile phone in his hand and dialled the number of his boss, it rang three times before a rough, manly voice answered. "Hello, Billy-Ray."  
>"I'm in position, Mr J, when do I surface?"<br>"Ah, about that. There is a slight complication. You can surface anytime you want; you're working on your own for this one. You accomplice has failed me, he got caught."  
>"Doesn't that mean they'll be expecting me? It wouldn't be safe."<br>"No, it's fine. He got caught on his way to the sanctuary, by Tanith Low, she was also on her way to the sanctuary, and she had the child with her."  
>"So I'm safe to go. I'm running low on air; I'll phone you back when I've got her." He took the phone away from his ear and pressed the end call button. The light from the phone went off and Sanguine was plunged into darkness once again.<p>

He tunnelled upwards, the roaring in his ears became louder as he went through the harder concrete. Light flooded into his eyes and he stood on the deer green carpet of the Sanctuary library. Through the bookcase he could see Tanith asleep with a child sleeping on her lap. The girl on Tanith's lap matched the description he had been given: very young with brown hair and blue eyes. He couldn't see the sleeping girl's eyes but he was certain it was the one he wanted. He strolled over to the armchair and looked around. The library was almost deserted, the librarian was in her office at the other end of the large room sipping tea and reading a newspaper. There was nobody else in the room.

Sanguine leaned over Tanith's body; she smelled like a mix of mint and vomit, he put his arms around the child, Tanith felt the girls weight shift and mumbled something he couldn't understand. His heart was pounding in his chest, he was surprised she couldn't hear it and wake, he looked at her face, he had missed that face. Sanguine lifted the child up into his arms slowly as to not wake Tanith and she shifted in her sleep but didn't wake. He crept backwards, keeping his eyes on his ex-girlfriend, making sure she didn't wake. He started to tunnel back into the ground. The roar woke the child and she started to scream. She wriggled in his arms and called out. He couldn't hear who she was calling over the roar of the shifting earth. She had tears streaming down her face as she fought to get out of Sanguine's hold. He gripped her tighter and double the speed at which they were travelling. The roar got louder until it drowned out the child's screaming completely.

Sanguine stopped at a concrete wall in the ground, the girl stared at it. Sanguine tunnelled through the wall and into a well lit room with a large, wooden table in the middle and chairs around it. Mr J sat at the table with madam Mist; he dismissed her when he heard Sanguine arrive. "Hello Olga. You're okay now, Daddy's here." The girl hugged her blanket.  
>"Who's Olga?" My J Turned in his chair, the child standing beside Sanguine wore jeans and a T-shirt under her hoody, her dark brown hair was cut short and a few stray strands were on her face. Her blue eyes followed every movement of the massive man on the chair from behind her bundle of blanket in her arms.<p>

"Billy-Ray, you absolute moron! You kidnapped the wrong child?! Are you kidding me! Who could be so stupid as to kidnap the wrong child! I even gave you a description of the kid!" Sanguine shrank back.  
>"I'm sorry. She matched you description. And she was the only child matching that description with Tanith Low." Mr J straightened his suit and stood up. "Very well, but what do you suggest we do with this child here?"<br>"We could return her?" My J shook his head.  
>"She's heard our entire conversation. She would tell them."<br>"We could kill her?" Mr J glowered at Sanguine.  
>"We can't kill her, she's innocent! She's just a child who was in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Sanguine looked at the girl; the girl looked back at him. "Well, I guess she is kinda cute." Mr J crouched down to her level.<br>"What's your name, kid?"  
>"Alice."<br>"Cool name. Alice who?" Alice remembered what her sister said her name was if a stranger asked.  
>"Um, Alice Cain, sir." Mr J flew to his feet, his face went red and he squared up to Sanguine.<br>"You kidnapped Valkyrie Cain's little sister?! How stupid are you?!"

**So, there you have it, a piece of my best work. This took me over two hours to write. But it was worth it, don't you think so? What do you think is wrong with Val? Is it Darquesse? Did somebody poison her? Or is it something completely different? Mr J being soft on Alice? Why? Does he really believe what he said? Is he scared of Valkyrie Cain? Please tell me your thoughts and opinions, PM me or review! Thanks again! **

**~Skylair xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17

***Hides behind the laptop, using it as a shield*. I'M SORRY! I know I haven't updated in… ages. I would say, "Thanks for the reviews". But instead I'll say, "Lord Sanguine, thank-you for the review, it made me smile". The only review; the only one. Wait, Snailey reviewed too, so thanks to her as well. Lord Sanguine, Snailey, I would like to offer you a chance to be in this story, (Or one of my other stories). And if anybody else reviews, I will offer them to be in one of my stories as well. This A/N is getting rather long… But I have one more thing I NEED to say. **

**IMPORTANT!  
>I would appreciate if anybody is a Beta or knows a Beta who might be able to help me with this story then please review or PM me. I've considered asking my English teacher but she takes 7 months to mark a 2 page story, and updates would become devastatingly rare. Thanks again people, did anybody even read all of that ridiculously long that AN? **

**CHAPTER 17:**

Tanith shuffled in her sleep and jabbed herself in the back of her knee with her scabbard. She woke with a start, unsheathing her sward as she jumped up. She swung it to her right and then to her left, a flash of sliver as it twirled through the air, whistling like a faraway scream, almost lost in the wind. Tanith looked around and spun so she could see in a full circle around her. "Hah, I must be getting paranoid in my old age, don't you think, Allie?" Tanith looked around, Alice wasn't there**. **She sheathed her sward and peeked behind the bookcase, nobody was there. "Alice? Alice!" She looked in the pram and behind the librarians' desk. Alice wasn't there either. She went back to the seats and sat opposite the twins. Ashley was sucking his thumb and watching Tanith. Darrell was trying to eat her own foot; her sock and the bottom of her trouser leg were drenched in saliva. Her big, brown eyes followed Tanith's every movement.

Tanith got down on her knees and unbuckled the children from their car seats. She lifted them up into her arms and stood up slowly. Ashley shuffled so he could suck his thumb again and Darrell made a show of wiping her slavery foot on Tanith's T-shirt. "Darrell, are you happy now? Do you feel accomplished? You wiped you slavers one me, congratulations. You are absolutely disgusting. Did you know that?" The child in question flicked Tanith's ear. Tanith shook her head and carried the twins out the library and down the corridor. Sorcerers in the corridor smiled at her and cooed at the babies.

Tanith shuffled Ashley on her arm and knocked on the door marked "elders". The door opened and Erskine Ravel looked out, he was wearing a fresh pair of trousers and had a shirt in his hand, his hair was wet like he had just showered and he smelled less like blood and more like lavender soap. He stepped aside and let her in. Erin was lying on the floor with a blue colouring pencil and some paper; she turned when she heard footsteps. "Mummy!" She jumped to her feet and bounded across the room, her chocolate curls bouncing as she ran. She wrapped her arms around Tanith's torso and buried her face in her t-shirt. Ghastly walked around the corner and smiled, "Sleeping beauty has woken, I see." Tanith shook her head.  
>"I'm supposed to be angry at you. You could have woken me and told me if you were going to take Alice." Ghastly frowned.<br>"I don't have Alice." Tanith's eyes widened. She put the twins down and Erin went to play with them.  
>"Then where is she?" She looked around the room.<br>"I don't know. Where did you see her last?" He arched an eyebrow.  
>"In the library, on my knee before I fell asleep." Ghastly nodded.<br>"Let's go and check there, she can't be far away."

Erskine appeared again, fully clothed. "I will look after the children for you." Tanith muttered a thank-you and dashed out the door with her husband at her heels. They began calling, "Alice? Alice!" Some sorcerers they knew joined them and went away in different directions, looking for the girl.

They reached the library and swung the doors open. Tanith went left and Ghastly went right, calling out and searching for Alice. They checked behind bookcases and under tabled and chairs. Tanith even jumped onto the roof to get a better view. She could see the librarian putting some books onto a shelf and she could see Ghastly searching for Alice in the labyrinth of bookcases, some old and wooden and some new and shiny white metal. Bookcases from all different times were all placed in a seemingly random pattern over the floor, creating walkways and random clearings with chairs and tables. Ghastly was walking through a walkway at the far end of the room. He checked through the gaps in the bookshelves. He found a man's coat under one of the higher bookcases, but no Alice. He walked into one of the clearings, it was pretty bare, with only three ugly, orange armchairs. He continued walking through when he noticed something strange. There was lots of hairline cracks on the floor. He knelt down and examined them closer. They looked like they has all originated from the same point in the floor. Sanguine had been here. "Tanith? You had better come and look at this!"

Tanith jumped off the ceiling and jogged over to him. "You have found a clue?" She appeared in the clearing and knelt beside him. "I guess you could call it that."  
>"Damn it. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO SAY TO VAL?! She's going to kill me!" Tanith tucked her knees under her chin and wrapped her muscled arms around herself. Ghastly wrapped his arms around his wife and murmured in her ear, "We can find her, it's our job, we're detectives; remember?" She nodded against his chest.<br>"You tell Ravel what's happened and I'll go and talk to Skulduggery." He nodded and they retraced their steps through the labyrinth until the doors loomed over them.

Tanith jogged through the corridors, passing sorcerers dressed smartly, walking in an organized way. She ran through the crowds, shoving people out of her way. She made it to the infirmary, Nye was standing outside the doors, talking to a man in a white lab coat. Tanith barrelled past them and into Skulduggery's room. Nye followed her inside, shouting abuse at her in its little squeaky voice, like a dog toy, "You can't come in here without permission! Get out! Get out you manner-less oaf!" The room was empty, with only an vacant bed and some machinery.  
>"Where's Skulduggery?" She glared at Nye.<br>"Detective Pleasant has been moved into Valkyrie Cains' room." Tanith barged through the door again, pushing Nye out of her way. She sprinted down the corridor, peeking through the windows in the room to see if her friends were inside. She heard a familiar laugh on her left and she threw herself into the nearest room on that side of the hallway. There was two beds inside, Valkyrie was sleeping on one, she was sickly pale but looked better than she had a few hours ago. On the other bed sat a skeleton dressed in only a pair of suit trousers and white gloves. He held his phone in his hand, raised to the hole in his head where his ear used to be. "Yes, yes. Absolutely. I am an excellent driver… no. She would never… Because I wouldn't let her… of course I can! Why are you doubting me?" Tanith tried to snatch the phone away from him.  
>"Tanith. Behave! Can't you see I'm busy? Sorry about that… just a friend." Tanith spun around and kicked the phone out his hand, it bounced off the wall and disappeared down the side of the bed. "TANITH! I was using that!" She grabbed his shoulder.<br>"SANGUINE HAS ALICE!" Skulduggery grabbed his gun and his shirt.  
>"Well, why didn't you say so?" Valkyrie's eyes fluttered.<br>"Alice? Have to help her."

(*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)

Mr J sat at his oak table, his dinner on the plate in front of him. Roast chicken coated in thick gravy with roast potatoes and carrots and broccoli and sprouts. The steam rose in the cold air and made a cloud above his head. He had an elegant glass of red wine to the left of his plate. Alice sat across from him at the table, sitting on a stack of cushions so she could reach the table. She had a roast dinner set in front of her as well and a mug of apple juice beside her. "This chicken is very good." Mr J nodded. Then he picked up a napkin and reached across the table, he gently wiped Alice's chin.  
>"So good you're getting you face covered in gravy. Better hurry and finish or the pudding might be all gone." He smiled at her and Alice smiled back. She scooped up some vegetables on her fork and put them in her mouth. "Good girl, Alice. You might get some pudding after all." He chuckled.<p>

When they were finished sanguine came in and took away the dirty dishes. "Thank you." Alice smiled at him. Mr J chuckled again.  
>"You don't need to thank him. He's just doing what he's told to do." Sanguine re-appeared with two bowls of chocolate cake and ice-cream and a bottle of apple juice and wine. He topped up Alice's drink and walked around the table to fill Mr J's wine glass, "Not too much, Billy. I don't want to get drunk." Sanguine nodded and half-filled the glass. He forced a smile before walking away again. "Don't like him." Alice decided.<br>"That's okay kid, neither do I." Alice smiled at him before tucking in to her cake.

**I was really unsure what I was going to have Mr J do with Alice. But when I was half way through this chapter I decided he was going to like her. But doesn't he hate his own daughter? Then why would he love Alice? Can you tell where I started writing and stopped for two days; then continued? I'm absolutely starving right now… **

**Did everybody have a good Christmas? Review or PM what you got. **

**Should I do my English homework now? We do go back to school tomorrow… Should I do it? I think not. This floor is FAR too comfortable. **

**And has anyone read the Percy Jackson books? I've just started reading them a few weeks ago and am on "Mark Of Athena". THEY'RE AMAZING! **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Skylair xoxo **


	18. Chapter 18

**HAPPY EASTER PEOPLES! **

**You probably already know, I haven't been updating often. But there is reasons behind it:  
>When I started writing Her… Lovely, I didn't plan it, but it didn't turn out too bad. I didn't plan this story either, I just wrote whatever came into my head, and I've pretty much run out of ideas. <strong>

_**It probably doesn't help that my sister broke her laptop (which my parents often borrow) and they keep borrowing mine. They wait until they see me happily writing something, then they tell me to go and "wash the dishes" or "put this away" or something like that and I will come back to find one of them sitting with my laptop. They will give it back to me ages later, half way through shutting itself down. And to shut it down, they would have to close miscrosoft office, and to do that they would have to click "exit without saving". Why can't they just save my stuff? It's not that difficult!**_

**So I don't really know where this story is going and whenever I sit down to write the next chapter, I haven't got a clue what to write. I'm not going to give up on it, so I am asking for some help. ****  
>If you can think of any ideas for this story, then <strong>_**please**_** PM me or review. It can be anything, what could happen next or how it could end. **

**In a little while I will delete this message and post the next chapter. But thanks for reading it, please review and tell me if you've got any ideas. **

**Skylair xoxo**


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